If you’re building a WordPress website, you’re going to need hosting from a web hosting provider that supports WordPress. Two of the most popular WordPress hosting providers are DreamHost and WP Engine. Both hosts specialize in WordPress websites, and they have a number of WordPress-specific features that make them a good fit. But there are significant differences in features and pricing that set them apart.
Here’s a quick look at when to use DreamHost and when to use WP Engine:
- DreamHost: You are new to website building and need a WordPress website builder to help you create your site
- WP Engine: You want an easier way to build a WordPress website without launching it first
DreamHost vs Squarespace at a Glance
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
Expert Score | 4.9 out of 5 | 2.95 out of 5 |
Cost per Month | From $2.95* | From $20 |
Ecommerce From | From $2.95* (requires plugin) | From $50 |
Storage | Unlimited | 10GB |
Bandwidth | Unlimited | 50GB |
Website Builder | BoldGrid drag-and-drop builder | Visual Composer drag-and-drop builder |
Automatic Updates | ✓ | ✓ |
Free Themes | ✓ | ✓ |
Daily Backups | ✓ | ✓ |
Basic Email | Unlimited | ✕ |
Support | 24/7 ticket, chat, and phone support (callback) | 24/7 chat support; phone support for higher tiers |
*Billed annually; renews at a higher rate. | ||
Note: DreamHost’s Shared Unlimited plan includes far more features for the exact same first-year costs as its introductory tier. Throughout this piece, when we refer to pricing and features, we chose to focus on the Shared Unlimited plan, as we feel this offers the most value to our reader.
When to Use DreamHost
The DreamHost Shared Unlimited plan includes WordPress pre-installed on all accounts, as well as the BoldGrid drag-and-drop website builder, all for $2.95 per month for the first year. Here’s when to use DreamHost:
- You’re building your first WordPress website: BoldGrid is one of the easiest and most popular drag-and-drop WordPress website builders. It is easy to learn and can help speed up your build time.
- You’re building an ecommerce website: DreamHost empowers you to purchase, configure, and use the WooCommerce ecommerce plugin on all accounts. For an additional fee, DreamHost will provide a premium installation of WooCommerce and install and configure it on your hosting package.
When to Use WP Engine
Like DreamHost, WP Engine is essentially built to host WordPress websites. As such, it’s packed with features specifically designed to smooth the somewhat complex WordPress experience. Here’s when to use WP Engine:
- You want to build your site before launching it: WordPress is a great content management system (CMS), but building a site takes time. With WP Engine, you can easily build your website on a test site and then publish your website to your domain with a single click.
- You need WordPress-specific support: Because all it does is WordPress websites, it makes sense that their technical support team is well-versed in answering WordPress questions. The WP Engine team is known for providing excellent WordPress support.
Best Alternatives to WP Engine & DreamHost
DreamHost and WP Engine are both great for building a small business website on WordPress, but WordPress isn’t necessarily for everyone. Other providers use different website builder platforms that can make it much easier to build your site or provide simpler ecommerce solutions. Here are a few of the best alternatives to DreamHost and WP Engine:
 |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
Cost/Month* | $16 | $3.95 | $12 |
Ecommerce Plans Monthly* | $27 | $3.95 | $12 |
Websites | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Storage | 2GB plus page-count limits | 10GB | Unlimited |
Bandwidth | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Website Builder | AI builder or template-based, plus drag-and-drop editing | Web.com intuitive, block-based website editor | Section-based with templates |
Templates | ~900 | ~150 | ~400 |
1-click Add-ons | 300+ | ✕ | 400+ |
Email | 1 address included | Unlimited email addresses | ✕ |
Learn More | |||
*With annual billing; may renew at a higher rate | |||
DreamHost vs WP Engine Pricing
| |
|---|---|
Starting Cost per Month: $2.95* Renews at: $10.99/month* Includes: Unlimited websites Free domain Free SSL Unlimited storage Unlimited traffic Unlimited email addresses WordPress pre-installed BoldGrid WordPress website builder | Starting Cost per Month: $20 Renews at: $20/month Includes: One website Free SSL 10GB storage 50GB traffic WordPress pre-installed Visual Composer WordPress website builder |
*Billed annually | |
When deciding on a web hosting service, the determining factor for most small businesses is price. When it comes to pricing, DreamHost decimates WP Engine. There is simply no comparison.
DreamHost’s Shared Unlimited plan is just $2.95 per month for the first year. It includes everything you need to build and grow your online presence—including unlimited storage, unlimited bandwidth, and unlimited basic email addresses. That’s a tremendous value for a very small price.
At $20 monthly, WP Engine’s Startup plan is its least expensive option. It includes a paltry 10GB of storage and only 50GB of bandwidth. You’ll also have to buy email hosting separately, which only adds to your monthly expense. Even after DreamHost’s introductory period ends, you’ll still save money over WP Engine, as DreamHost renews at just $10.99 a month.
Most Affordable: DreamHost, Hands Down
There is simply no question when it comes to which hosting provider delivers the most bang for your small business buck. DreamHost offers far more for far less than WP Engine and easily comes out on top.
WP Engine vs DreamHost Products & Services
| |
|---|---|
Shared web or WordPress hosting from $2.95/month* | WordPress web hosting from $20/month |
WooCommerce hosting from $16.99/month | WooCommerce hosting from $50/month |
Managed WordPress hosting from $16.95/month* | Managed WordPress hosting from $20/month |
Virtual private server (VPS) starting at $10/month* | ✕ |
Dedicated servers from $249/month | ✕ |
Domain registration ($8.99-19.99/year for .com) | Must purchase separately from a domain name provider |
Unlimited email addresses included | ✕ |
Custom website design from $1,499 SEO, social media marketing, and more from $399/month | ✕ |
*Billed annually; renews at a higher rate | |
DreamHost provides a number of additional products to help you grow your online brand presence. These products include custom website design, social media marketing, and search engine optimization (SEO). These professional services help make the job of building and maintaining an online presence much easier.
Conversely, WP Engine’s hosting packages are focused exclusively on WordPress, meaning you won’t be able to use their servers to host any other content management system (CMS) or even a custom-coded website. Nor does WP Engine offer any additional services—no website development, no advertising support, and no SEO assistance. You get WordPress hosting, and that’s it.
DreamHost provides everything you need for a website in a single purchase and a bevy of features and services to improve your online experience. This is why DreamHost easily trumps WP Engine when it comes to products and services.
Best Web Hosting: DreamHost
| | |
|---|---|---|
Storage | Unlimited | 10GB |
Bandwidth | Unlimited | 50GB |
Free Domain & SSL | ✓ | SSL only |
Email | Unlimited | ✕ |
Content Delivery Network (CDN) | Add-on, 12 cents per GB | ✕ |
DreamHost is designed to make web hosting simple, whether you’re building a WordPress website, using a different content management system (CMS), or just need email hosting. DreamHost offers everything you need to build your site and host email in a single point-of-purchase. This includes choosing and registering a domain name. DreamHost even includes a domain name for one year for free.
WP Engine focuses only on web hosting, and more specifically, only on WordPress hosting. The company provides no services beyond hosting WordPress websites, which places it at a significant disadvantage to DreamHost in terms of products and services offered. Because DreamHost provides everything you need for a website in a single purchase, it easily beats WP Engine when it comes to hosting. Learn more about DreamHost’s products, services, and web hosting with our DreamHost review.
Best WordPress Hosting: DreamHost
| | |
|---|---|---|
WordPress Pre-installed | ✓ | ✓ |
WordPress Page Builder | ✓ | ✓ |
Daily Backups | ✓ | ✓ |
Automated WordPress Migration | ✓ | ✓ |
Automatic WordPress Updates | ✓ | ✓ |
WordPress-ready Hosting | From $2.95*/month | From $20/month |
Managed WordPress Hosting | From $11.99*/month | From $20/month |
WooCommerce-ready Plans | $16.99*/month | $50 |
*Billed annually; renews at a higher rate | ||
One might think that a web host designed and built exclusively to host WordPress websites would easily come out on top of the DreamHost vs WP Engine fight. One would be wrong.
As we said previously, DreamHost is almost built for WordPress. It packs in a number of WordPress-specific features, and those features are part of the reason DreamHost lands on the top of our list of best cheap WordPress hosting services. Here are some of the features included:
- Pre-installed WordPress on all accounts
- Included installation of BoldGrid drag-and-drop website builder for WordPress
- Automated WordPress migration for businesses that already have a website
- Automatic daily backups
- Optional automatic updates of WordPress core and security features, as well as some plugins
WP Engine includes many of these features, but it falls short on two categories: cost and storage. WP Engine provides far less storage and features for a vastly higher price. Choosing a WordPress-capable web host doesn’t have to be expensive, as DreamHost proves. Between WP Engine and DreamHost, the winner is clear: DreamHost.
Best Place to Buy Domains: DreamHost
| | |
|---|---|---|
.com Introductory Price | $8.99 | ✕ |
Renews At | $19.99 | ✕ |
Domain Privacy | ✓ | ✕ |
Free SSL | ✓ | ✓ |
Occasionally, a small business will need to “park” a domain—buy a domain without attaching web hosting or email. Perhaps you’re planning a future expansion, launching a new brand, or just protecting similar domain names or trademarked products. In WP Engine vs DreamHost, only DreamHost sells domains. With WP Engine, you have to purchase your domain from a different provider. This is a notable shortcoming of WP Engine.
Whether you’re purchasing a domain to park it, or you plan on pairing it with web and email hosting, between DreamHost and WP Engine, DreamHost is your only option.
Best Business Email Provider: DreamHost
| | |
|---|---|---|
Standalone Email Hosting | ✓ | ✕ |
Storage | 1GB per address | ✕ |
Email Aliases | ✓ | ✕ |
Anti-phishing & Virus Protection | ✓ | ✕ |
Mobile & Desktop Apps | ✓ | ✕ |
Add to Email Clients | ✓ | ✕ |
Google Workspace Add-on | $7.20/month per user* | $6/month** |
*Billed annually; may renew at a higher rate | **Must purchase directly from Google | ||
When you want a professional email address, like yourname@yourbusiness.com, the process should be as easy and quick as possible. With both DreamHost and WP Engine, you can use your domain for professional email addresses, but only DreamHost makes it easy, which is why it lands a spot on our list of the best email hosting providers.
First, DreamHost’s Shared Unlimited plan includes as many basic email addresses as you’d like, with up to 1GB of storage per email box. You can increase storage on these boxes for a monthly fee, starting at $1.67. For added functionality, including managing your email with Gmail and access to the full suite of Google Workspace productivity tools, DreamHost makes adding Workspace to your account a simple click in your control panel, and it only costs $7.20 per month.
Conversely, WP Engine does not offer native email of any kind, which means you’ll have to source a third-party email provider. There are many, but using email with your WP Engine domain will mean manually configuring your domain name servers to point your email to the correct place. This can be cumbersome and challenging, and it can also be unreliable.
When it comes to email, between WP Engine vs DreamHost there is no comparison. DreamHost handily tops WP Engine as an email provider.
Best Professional Services: DreamHost
| | |
|---|---|---|
Website Design | From $1,499 | ✕ |
Social Media Marketing | From $399 | ✕ |
SEO | From $399 | ✕ |
Website Management | From $59 | ✕ |
Custom Web Development | From $89/hour | ✕ |
Professional services can be a lifesaver for small business owners who decide to outsource their online marketing efforts. These services include everything from website design to social media marketing. For owners looking for that one-stop solution, DreamHost makes a powerful entry.
DreamHost provides a number of professional services at incredibly affordable prices. Whether it’s full website design starting at $1,499 monthly or search engine optimization (SEO) of your site beginning at $399, DreamHost can manage most of your online marketing needs.
WP Engine provides no services beyond simply hosting a WordPress website. If you’re intent on using WP Engine because of the WordPress tools, then you’ll most likely need a digital marketing agency to farm out your online marketing. With their professional services, DreamHost has you covered.
Best Customer Support: Essentially a Tie
| | |
|---|---|---|
24/7 Support | ✓ | ✓ |
Chat Support | ✓ | ✓ |
Email/Ticket Support | ✓ | ✕ |
Phone Support | Via callback | Higher tiers only |
Knowledge Base | ✓ | ✓ |
Tutorials | ✓ | ✓ |
DreamHost and WP Engine stack up relatively equally in terms of customer support, which is an essential element of web hosting for most small business owners. After all, you’re probably not a web design guru, and WordPress can be complicated. It’s not a question of if you’ll need support, but one of is support available when you need it.
With both providers, you’ll have 24/7 access to chat support. You’ll also have access to both providers’ extensive knowledge bases and comprehensive tutorials. Where the providers differ is on email/ticket support and phone support.
WP Engine does not utilize an email or ticketing system for support requests. DreamHost does, but how useful ticketing support is for a small business owner in the middle of a website crisis is debatable. On the phone support front, both providers offer limited telephone support, but the availability and access differ. WP Engine offers on-demand phone support, but it reserves this support to higher tiers of service. DreamHost’s Shared Unlimited plan includes phone support—but only as a callback.
Between DreamHost vs WP Engine, customer support is essentially a wash. Both providers offer excellent support, and their support options are pretty much the same.
Customer Reviews of WP Engine vs DreamHost
Customer reviews of a service provider are usually a good metric by which to assess provider quality. For DreamHost and WP Engine, customers have relatively rave reviews.
DreamHost earns 3.7 out of 5 stars on the review site G2. Of particular note are DreamHost’s prompt and effective customer service. Professional services like website design and social media marketing also scored points with users. There were some hiccups, though. Some users found the onboarding process challenging, with difficulty migrating websites to DreamHost or creating new sites. Other users noted hidden fees when trying to move away from DreamHost.
WP Engine scores exceedingly well on G2, with users awarding the service with 4.6 out of 5 stars. Users report the dashboard is easy to navigate. Support is also top-notch. But many users found the additional costs not worth the benefits of the platform. Also, WP Engine has a tendency to change its dashboard frequently without providing any guidance or warning to users. This can be frustrating.
Expert Opinion & Scoring
In the DreamHost vs WP Engine challenge, we looked at virtually every feature and service each company offers. We took a deep dive into both general and niche features, considered pricing, and relied on more than 20 years of website design and management experience. Here’s a detailed breakdown of how we evaluated them:
20% of Overall Score
The number one concern for most small business owners is price. We scored both providers on pricing, weighing the value each provides, and then we assigned the win to the provider that delivers the most bang for your buck.
30% of Overall Score
Both WP Engine and DreamHost provide a core set of features, like storage and bandwidth. We examined both the quality of these features and their usefulness to small businesses to determine which provider earned the best marks.
15% of Overall Score
Whether it’s a website builder, control panel interface, or SEO tools to help your page rank, niche features can drive website success. We did a deep dive on the niche features both DreamHost and WP Engine offer to assess which features give which provider the edge.
10% of Overall Score
When you need support, you most likely need it now. Both providers were scored on how well they provide timely support, and both scored highly.
25% of Overall Score
With more than 20 years of web design experience, we brought our knowledge and expertise to bear on each provider. Ultimately, we let this experience guide us to an overall winner, a determination we checked against customer reviews.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Are WP Engine & DreamHost the same?
WP Engine and DreamHost are both web hosting providers. However, they are not exactly the same. WP Engine focuses exclusively on hosting and managing WordPress websites. They don’t offer domain names or email addresses as part of their service. Nor do they offer an option to build a website on a non-WordPress platform. DreamHost provides excellent WordPress support, but it also sells domain names, hosts email, and offers a number of professional services to make building your website easier.
What are the drawbacks of DreamHost?
The biggest drawback of DreamHost is that it is primarily a WordPress hosting platform. That means you’ll most likely need to build your website using WordPress, which isn’t a bad thing necessarily. It’s just a lot more complex than other website-building platforms. That being said, DreamHost does offer both a WordPress website builder as well as its own, proprietary website builder, both of which make the process easier.
What are the drawbacks of WP Engine?
WP Engine is a great web host for WordPress websites, but that is absolutely all WP Engine does. If you choose WP Engine, you’ll get stellar, managed hosting for your WordPress site. But you’ll be on your own to buy a domain and point it to the WP Engine servers. You’ll also have to source your own email provider, which drives up the monthly cost of your online presence.
Bottom Line
In the WP Engine vs DreamHost match-up, one provider stands head and shoulders above the other. WP Engine simply cannot match DreamHost in terms of services offered or price. DreamHost’s Shared Unlimited plan is just $2.95 per month for the first year, and it includes everything you’ll need to build and grow your online presence, from unlimited storage space to unlimited email addresses.
